Folding stock for shoulder arms



4, 1965 H. L. SEDELOW 3,201,887

FOLDING STOCK FOR SHOULDER ARMS Filed July 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 H. L. SEDELOW 3,201,887

FOLDING STOCK FOR SHOULDER ARMS Filed July 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Herve Lfieilelnw BY W 2 If'F SREIEY /a .1 in FIG/33, to

Ihe invention describ edhere in may be manufactured used by or for the,Government for governmental without thenpaj yrne nt to. me of any' royalty This invention relates to shoulderi armsf and pertains It isone objectof:thisinvention tojprovide for shoulder armsfa stock in which the fb uttsection Imay befolded 1 up to laywalongfthereceiver andfthereby reduce the Y length of. the weapon while being carried.

i it It is afurther objectof thisinventiongto provide such 1 1 anfolding {stock which isjdistinguished for its! strength, for the rnininiumamount of spacef re'quired when folded des 1 t ,T hespecific nature ofthe inventionas wellzas other objects and advantagesthereof will clearly appear, from :adescription of a preferred P embodiment as shown in theYaccompanying drawings in which:

levational view, of a rifle with the folding stock {of the invention installed thereon; i stoc k shownfin its extended position; R 1 1633 is an enlargedffragmentary top view showing FIG..2 is an enlarged, fragmentaryvtop view of the the stock folded alongside,thereceiver;

. EIGQILAis an enlargcd rfrag mentary elevational View showing the hinge arrangements of the stock, with the stockin its extended position;

, FIG, 7 is a view taken along line 77. of .FIG, 6{ I Shownin thefiguresis .arifle 12 which is provided with a.;stock14,having a conventional forward section 1 of woodorplast ic, whichjseats the receiver and part of theybarrel, and a folding buttsection 18. Butt section composed offia pair ,of frames 20, which are ,hingedly ,mounted atthe front .ends to the rear end of forward section16 byiafhingeplate 22, and a butt plate which joins the rear endsof the frames and proapproximately similarlto the silhouette outlinepf a conwhichflextend linearly toward each y ,infhinge plate 22; Extendinggfrom eachof the pintles r130 is an arcuate section 34 whichrisjformed, noted permit displacement of the frames 20 along opposite sides of forward section 16 by com pensating other at;the front end ofthejespective frame 20 and are rotationally received byj the! related oneof a pair' of vertically disposed and \laterally {spaced} sockets 32 vniwdsmeslw v 3,201,887 Patented Aug. 24, 1965 the length of the frames from the front ends thereof.

Formed in each of the topsections 38, at the apex of angle X therein, is an arcuate discontinuity 44 which is essentially U-shaped in configuration and is arranged; to extend outwardly to the right, respective to the long axis of rifle 12; looking forwardly from the rear end thereof, and similarly formed in each of the hottomsections .40 is 'anfiarcuate discontinuity 46 which extends outwardly to the left. i

.- Thus, when frames 20' are in their extended positions,

arcuate discontinuity '44 in top section 38 of left-hand frame 28 nests in the mating discontinuity, injthe top section of right-hand frame,26, and arcuate discontinuity 46 in bottom section 40 Qf the right-hand'frame nests in the mating discontinuity in thebottom section of the left-hand frame. Arcuate discontinuities 44 and 46 serve to strengthen frames 20 against buckling under recoil forces by dividing the lengths of the frames into shorter linear sections and, when the related discontinuities are pressed together, as hereinafter described, the frictional contact and the nesting engagement which prevents relative movement therebetween serve to form the frames into an essentially X-shaped structure so that the frames are rigidly held against pivotal displacement.

The rear ends of frames 20 are held together by butt plate 24 which is pivotally mounted on rear section 42 of right-hand frame 26 at 48 and is engageable with the rear section of left-hand frame 28 by a spring catch 50. .The value of angle X is such that, when discontinuities 44 and 46 are in contact, the rear ends of the frames are normally spaced apart farther. than the reach of butt plate 24 so that the rear ends have to be pulled resiliently together and thereby apply pressure between the discontinuities in order for spring catch 50 to engage left-hand frame 28. V

A vertical rod 52 is provided in right-hand frame 26 for engagement by spring catch 50, when butt plate 24 is folded alongside the right-hand frame to hold the butt plate against displacement when the frame is folded,

and a releasable bracket 54 may be added, as shown in FIG. 2, to. assure that discontinuities 44 and 46 are securely held in contact.

Thus, while rifle 12 is being carried and. it is more convenient to have the length thereof reduced as much as possible, butt section 18 is folded with frames 20 swung lfjoli the distance ofythefrespective socket 32 from the.

. ,pivotaldisplacement of the respective frame ZO Qto its resiliently jjagainst t hef respective ends of. the

f each of the,sockets forwardly along opposite sides of forward section 16 with the bias of the arcuate sections 34 against the corresponding cam surfaces 36 holding the frames in their folded positions. When rifle 12 is to be used, frames 20 are swung rearwardly to their extended positions and the ends of the frames are pressed together to Where spring catch 50 of butt plate 24 can engage rear section 42 of left-hand frame 23 for securing the frames together. Frorn the foregoing it is clearly apparent that there is provided herein a folding stock which is simple in design but strong in construction, which may be easily andquicklyfolded and extended andwhich increases the bulk of. the rifle very slightly when folded.

Although a particular embodiment of. the invention has been described in detailherein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim: i g 1. A stock for a shoulder arm having a receiver and a barrel, the stock including a forward section for seating the receiver and part of the barrel, and a butt section comprising a pair of frames hingedly mo'unted on the' displacement when joined in the extended positions by said butt plate. 7 a a 2. The stock as defined in claim 1 wherein said discontinuities are arcuately formed in a substantially U- shaped Configuration and are so disposed in cooperation 'that said discontinuities in one of said frames nest in said discontinuities in the other one of said frames when said frames are in the extended positions.

3. The stock as defined in claim 2 wherein said frames are each provided with a rear section and each of said reach of said butt plate when said frames are in the extended positions. V V V g a 4. The stock asdefined in claim 3 wherein each of said frames is provided with a top section andra bottom section joined thereto by said rear section, wherein'one of said dicontinuities is formed in'each of said top sections and bottom sections along the lengths thereof, and

' wherein said discontinuities in said top sections extend outwardly in one direction and said discontinuities in said bottom section extend outwardly in the opposite direction when said frames are in the extended positions.

5'. The stock as defined in claim 3 including means for hingedly mounting said butt plate on said rear section of one of said frames, and a spring catch mounted on said butt plate for engagement with said rear section of the other one of said frames when said frames are frames is bent inwardly'to form an angle ,at said discontinuities therein, said angle being formed so that said rear ends are normally spaced a distance'greater than the in the extended positionsf References Cited by the Examiner g 7 'UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,315,215 9/19 Davidson 42 72 2,374,621 4/45 Reising 42 72 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. V 

1. A STOCK FOR SHOULDER ARM HAVING A RECEIVER AND A BARREL, THE STOCK INCLUDING A FORWARD SECTION FOR SEATING THE RECEIVER AND PART OF THE BARREL, AND A BUTT SECTION COMPRISING A PAIR OF FRAMES HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON THE REAR END OF SAID FORWARD SECTION FOR PIVOTAL DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN FORWARD FOLDED POSITINS ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FORWARD SECTION AND REARWARD EXTENDED POSITIONS, A BUTT PLATE FOR JOINING THE REAR ENDS OF SAID FRAMES TOGETHER WHEN IN THE EXTENDED POSITIONS AND PROVIDE 